HK tourist killed as Thai tour boat sinks

Salvagers give emergency treatment to injured foreign tourists after a ferry sank near Thailand's tourist resort of Pattaya on Sunday. [Photo: Chongqing Daily]

A tour boat capsized and sank near Thailand's popular seaside town of Pattaya on Sunday, killing six people, including one Chinese and two Russians.

The double-decker ferry, en route on a 30-minute trip from Koh Lan island to Pattaya Sunday evening, carried about 200 Thai and foreign passengers, above its 130-150 capacity, the Bangkok Post reported.

Shortly after the boat departed, a technical problem occurred and caused water leakage. Many passengers on the lower deck rushed to the second floor, causing the boat to flip on one side and eventually sink.

Zhu Weidong, Counselor and Consul General of the Chinese embassy in Thailand confirmed with Xinhua that one tourist from China's Hong Kong died in the accident, one other from Hong Kong and one from Guangdong province were injured.

The victims also include three Thais. At least 26 people were injured, the Nation reported.

The salvage operation is still underway as of press time. Witnesses said that they could not find enough life vests on the boat.